Finding Online Shoppers on Facebook

Most users will friend a few lucky brands

Retailers that want to connect with their target audience online would do well to go where their customers already are. And according to the “2010 Social Media Report” from ForeSee Results, 69% of online shoppers regularly use social media sites.

The overwhelming winner in terms of shopper presence was Facebook, with more than one-half of respondents using it regularly. YouTube took the second spot, with former giant MySpace far behind its rival. Only about one in 10 online shoppers surveyed used Twitter.

More than one-half of online shoppers who use social media choose to engage with brands on the sites by friending or following them. While some social site users interacted with a large number of brands, most were fans of only a few. Social network users actively want to engage, but their time and attention is limited.

The report also confirmed earlier research that the top reasons for interacting with brands on social sites were to get a good deal and learn about products, with nearly one-half of brand followers selecting each goal. Only a few were interested in customer support.

“This is an amazing testament to customer loyalty and interest in social engagement,” said Kevin Ertell, vice president of retail strategy at ForeSee Results, about the survey. “We need to do our part in maintaining these relationships with the kind of content and engagement these customers want and deserve.”

Article quoted from eMarketer.com